Keeneland prepares for Spring Meet opening weekend
Spring Meet starts on Friday
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Springtime means many things for Kentucky, but for horse racing fans, it means racing at Keeneland.
The racetrack says even with the upcoming weekend’s not-so-springy weather, the stands are expected to still be full.
“There’s something about right here in the horse capitol of the world, these fans are ready for racing. They’re going to come rain or shine. There’s plenty of indoor areas to enjoy the races and if you need a warm-up you can get a cup of burgoo or even bourbon and you’re going to have a great day no matter what,” said Keeneland Chief Marketing Officer Christa Marrillia.
The Spring Meet still requires tickets to be purchased in advance in order to cap attendance at about 20,000 people a day. However, masks are not required, and tailgating on the hill is back in full force.
“It’s going to feel really normal out here and our fans are really excited about that,” said Marrillia.
The impact of the Spring Meet reaches far beyond the race track. City Center Marriott says it’s expecting about 20,000 guests this month alone.
“We’ve been watching and monitoring our occupancy the past couple months just watching to see what April’s going to bring. With both hotels combined, we’re going to be high, high occupancies, rates will be a little higher than what they typically are, staffing and getting ready for that has been amazing, but we expect to be very, very busy,” said Director of Operations Jason Perkins.
Perkins says those numbers aren’t expected to drop-off until later this year.
“We expect projections wise to stay busy and remain busy and don’t see that drop-off until the winter months come around and it typically gets slower,” said Perkins.
Woodford County is also preparing for a busy April, in no small part due to the races, according to Woodford County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Emily Downey.
“We expect full capacity in terms of lodging, our hotels and Airbnbs are seeing full room nights, our restaurants are seeing lots of activity. We do expect it to be a busy time in terms of the economy and its impact,” said Downey.
Keeneland’s Spring Meet runs until April 29th, with no racing on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Easter Sunday.
